Good and Evil: Universals?

[smoothmoniker]

Are there universal principles that can be called Good and Evil?

Are there some acts that may be properly understood as having intrinsic moral value, either positive or negative, apart from all social context and cultural value systems, or is the moral weight of each action contingent solely on the relativistic value assigned to it by its cultural context?

There are several corrollaries to this primary question, which will be raised as the thread progresses.

I'll go ahead and stake my ground in the affirmative camp. There are actions that are properly understood as evil. Torturing babies for pleasure would be one example. Even if the entire world decided that this was acceptable behavior, in fact rewarded those who did it, it would still be morally wrong. The moral value of this action is not contingent on the cultural response to it.

-sm